Are you looking for a way to take your workout to the next level? Wondering if red light therapy can help you crush your next PB? This cutting-edge technology has been gaining popularity in the fitness world lately, and for good reason!
Red light therapy involves exposing your body to red and near-infrared light, which has been shown to stimulate cellular repair and regeneration, reduce inflammation, and improve circulation.
But here's the million-dollar question: should you use red light therapy before or after a workout?
It's a great question, and we're here to give you the answers you've been looking for! In this post, we'll dive deep into the science behind red light therapy and explore how it can benefit your workout routine.
We'll also discuss when the best time is to use red light therapy – before or after your workout – and give you some tips on how to incorporate it into your fitness regimen.
By the end of this post, you'll have all the information you need to decide whether red light therapy is right for you and how to use it to achieve your fitness goals… Let’s get into it!
Red Light Therapy For Sports And Fitness: What Are The Benefits?
Red light therapy has been shown to help athletes and fitness enthusiasts in a number of ways, including reducing muscle soreness and fatigue, improving muscle recovery time, increasing endurance and energy levels, and even enhancing athletic performance.
In this section, we'll take a closer look at these benefits and explore the science behind them.
Muscle Strength
We have good news for anyone looking to improve their strength training routine — because when it comes to muscle strength, studies have shown that red light therapy can increase both muscular size and strength!
According to a randomized controlled study, subjects that used red light therapy showed an increase of 55.5% in the one-repetition maximum leg test which was significantly higher than the increase of just 26.8% in the control group. [1]
Endurance
Red light therapy has also been found to increase endurance in athletes. According to a 2020 study, using red light therapy can improve aerobic endurance training and reduce performance loss when detraining. [2]
In simple terms, this means that not only can you increase your aerobic capacity (i.e how long you can go for), but you also keep those benefits for longer, even if you’re not training!
This makes it a valuable tool for athletes of all levels, as well as those undergoing rehabilitation.
Pain & Inflammation
We've spoken about this before, but using red light therapy after a workout can be a great way to reduce pain and inflammation, especially after a tough training session!
You can read more about it in our blog titled Increased Mitochondrial Energy For Faster Muscle Recovery.
In the article, we explain how red light therapy has been shown to stimulate the mitochondria in our cells, increasing ATP production and leading to faster muscle recovery.
Prevent Muscle Damage
There has also been plenty of research showing the importance of red light therapy in preventing muscle damage.
In a study of soccer players, a study demonstrated that pre-exercise red light therapy acts on different functional aspects and biochemical markers.
More importantly, RLT was found to play an important antioxidant effect, decreasing exercise-induced oxidative stress and consequently enhancing athletic performance and improving postexercise recovery!
Simply put, the players who were given red light therapy before their session had better athletic performance and faster recovery after exercise! [3]
Just imagine what that could mean for you… Not only would red light therapy improve your performance during your workout, but you’ll also recover quicker too! You can’t ask for more than that, right?!
Enhance The Effect Of Exercise
But it's not just during the workouts that you can benefit from red light therapy... Because recent research into the effects of red light therapy has found that it can actually enhance the effect of exercise!
According to a randomized control trial, RLT can improve the effectiveness of aerobic exercise, and it can also help to burn more fat!
Here's what the research says:
"Red light therapy applied before and after sessions of aerobic training for 12 weeks can increase the time-to-exhaustion and oxygen uptake and also decrease the body fat in healthy volunteers when compared to a placebo"
In short, using red light therapy can be a game changer for those looking to improve their athletic performance and recovery time.
So if you're an athlete or just someone who loves to exercise, incorporating red light therapy into your routine could take your workouts to the next level and help you achieve your fitness goals faster!
Should You Use Red Light Therapy Before, During, Or After A Workout?
So, now we've established that red light therapy is an amazing way to boost athletic performance and recovery time, but when should you use it?
Well, to maximize the benefits of red light therapy, we recommended using it both before and after your workout session – let us explain...
Red Light Therapy Before Your Workout
Using red light therapy before your workout can help prepare your muscles for exercise by increasing blood flow and oxygenation. This can help reduce the risk of injury, as well as increase endurance and overall performance during exercise, like in the studies we highlighted earlier.
Another underrated benefit of using red light therapy before a workout is that it can help improve mental focus and clarity, getting you in the right mindset to crush your workout. That 10-15 minute block while you receive your red light therapy can be the perfect opportunity to mentally prepare for your workout, visualize your goals, and get in the zone.
Red Light Therapy During Your Workout
While red light therapy can be beneficial before and after a workout, it is not recommended to use it during exercise for a number of reasons...
Firstly, using red light therapy during a workout just isn't practical...
As we've explained in our previous blogs, one of the most important factors for red light therapy to be effective is having a consistent dosage and direct exposure to the treatment area. This makes it almost impossible to use during a workout when you're constantly moving and changing positions.
Secondly, even if you have a portable red light therapy device that is wireless – like the Move+ – it's important to focus on your form and technique during exercise, rather than worrying about a red light therapy device distracting you from your workout and potentially causing an injury.
Finally, red light therapy can also distract during a workout and take away from the overall experience of exercising as well as the enjoyment of being present in the moment.
Often we like to use exercise as a way of clearing our minds and reducing stress, so it's important to stay focused on the task at hand and not lose sight of that by adding extra distractions.
Red Light Therapy After Your Workout
So, you've smashed your workout and now it's time for recovery... This is where red light therapy can really shine! (Ahem, pun intended…)
As mentioned in the studies we highlighted earlier, red light therapy after a workout can help reduce muscle soreness and inflammation, promote faster recovery, and increase your range of motion.
Red light therapy can also improve blood circulation and oxygen delivery to the muscles, aiding in their repair and growth.
In conclusion, red light therapy is a promising technology that has been gaining popularity in the fitness world due to its many benefits. From improving muscle strength and endurance to reducing pain and inflammation, RLT can help athletes and fitness enthusiasts take their workouts to the next level and achieve their fitness goals faster!
Whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, incorporating red light therapy into your fitness regime can be a game-changer.
By using it both before and after your workouts, you can maximize its benefits and improve your performance, endurance, and recovery time.
As more research is conducted on the effects of red light therapy, it's likely that we'll discover even more ways in which it can benefit our health and fitness!
So if you're looking for a natural and effective way to enhance your workouts, consider giving red light therapy a try and experience the many benefits for yourself.
But, not all red light therapy devices are created equal… And that's where the Move+ comes in! It's the ultimate tool for any fitness enthusiast or athlete looking to take their training to the next level.
With its wireless design, you can take the Move+ with you anywhere, whether you're working out at the gym or smashing home workouts in your own backyard... Plus, with three individual units that can be used together or separately, you can target specific areas of your body that need extra attention.
But what makes the Move+ so effective?
It's all in the red light therapy technology. With both LED lights and medical-grade laser technology, the wavelengths penetrate deep into your muscles, increasing blood flow and oxygenation to help speed up recovery time.
Simply put, investing in the Move+ is investing in your own fitness journey... Don't settle for less – take your workouts to the next level with the power of red light therapy!
Try the Move+ today and experience the difference for yourself – with our 30-day Money Back Guarantee, either you love the performance benefits, or you can return it for a full refund… It’s as simple as that!
All you have to do is click the link below to supercharge your workouts today!
Sources:
1 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21086010/
2 - https://bmcsportsscimedrehabil.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13102-020-00171-2
